1. Technical Field of the Invention
This present invention relates to the developmental care of preterm infants, and more particularly, to an apparatus for holding and feeding preterm infants.
2. Description of Related Art
Infants who are born several weeks early, are small, weak, and may not have developed the instinct of sucking. Therefore, these infants may be unable to feed themselves by nursing or taking a bottle. In order to feed these infants, neonatal intensive care units utilize a process known as "gavage", or gravity feeding. During gavage feeding, a nutritious liquid formula is placed in a syringe-like reservoir which is mounted at an elevated position above the infant. The infant may be in a bassinet or an isolette. In the description of the invention that follows, the term bassinet is utilized collectively to refer to a bassinet or an isolette. A long thin tube, or catheter, which is connected at one end to the lower end of the syringe, is inserted through the infant's nostril, down the infant's esophagus, and into the infant's stomach. The nutritious liquid formula then flows by gravity from the reservoir of the syringe, through the catheter, and into the infant's stomach.
There has long been a problem, however, associated with mounting the gavage syringe in its elevated position above the infant. Often, gavage syringes are taped to surrounding walls, to the sides of isolettes, or to nearby glass windows. Alternatively, a rolling I.V. stand may be placed near the infants bassinet where it is utilized to hold the gavage syringe in its elevated position. All of these methods of mounting the gavage syringe, however, have serious disadvantages. First, if tape is utilized, there is the danger that the tape will come lose, and the syringe will fall from its elevated position. Second, when the syringe is mounted to an object other than the infant's bassinet, the catheter tubing which runs from the syringe to the infant must extend across an area where the tubing presents a hazard. When a rolling I.V. stand is utilized, the proximity of the stand to the infant's bassinet may cause care personnel to trip over the legs of the I.V. stand, or the stand or the catheter tubing may otherwise impede their ability to perform emergency care actions. Third, when the syringe is mounted to an object other than the infant's bassinet, the bassinet cannot be moved without unmounting the syringe and carrying it, or moving the object to which the syringe is mounted.
Although there are no known prior art teachings of a solution to the aforementioned deficiency and shortcoming such as that disclosed herein, U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,037 to Willis (Willis) discusses subject matter that bears some relation to matters discussed herein. Willis discloses an apparatus for self-administering fluids to patients, children, and persons of limited capabilities. FIGS. 6 and 7 of Willis show an embodiment of the apparatus which is suitable for mounting the apparatus to a support structure such as a crib. However, the apparatus of Willis is entirely unsuitable for use with the small bassinets and isolettes utilized in neonatal intensive care units. Thus, a review of Willis reveals no disclosure or suggestion of an apparatus such as that described and claimed herein.
In order to overcome the disadvantage of existing solutions, it would be advantageous to have an apparatus for mounting a gavage syringe which compatibly mounts with the small bassinets utilized in neonatal intensive care units. Such an apparatus would hold the gavage syringe at the correct height for proper gavage feeding, and would enable the bassinet to be moved without interrupting the feeding of the infant, and without having to remove the syringe from a fixed mounting location. The present invention provides such an apparatus.